The Phoenician Connection

Cornwall is a county awash with legends. From Arthurian knights to mischievous sprites, you would be hard pressed to find many towns or villages in that part of England which do not have some kind of folklore or tale associated with them.

Cornwall is, I believe, the only county to have preserved its culinary saffron heritage in its famous saffron buns or cakes. While they may not be quite as ubiquitous as that other Cornish ‘delicacy’, the pasty, saffron buns can be located in the region without too much difficulty. This sits somewhat at odds with the history of saffron in England. Given the importance of the spice in Essex – and particularly Saffron Walden – you would perhaps expect that county to have developed a culinary affinity with this spice. Alas, no recipes containing saffron specifically local to Essex came to light during my investigations. So why should the Cornish cling to their liking for saffron above all other counties?